Time indicating mechanism



May 28, 1940. N. HAMMER TIME INDICATING MECHANISM Filed May 31, 1939 ATTORNEYS Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in timepieces, for instance clocks and the like, and has as one of the principal objects thereof the provision of time indicating mechanism so constructed and arranged whereby the hour is accentuated and the minutes and seconds quickly and readily discerned and which eliminates the use of hands or arms heretofore employed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a time indicating mechanism of the above described character adaptable for use in connection with clock mechanisms of ordinary construction without modifying the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide time indicating mechanism which is simple in construction, durable in use, efficient in operation and economical in manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, appended claims and annexed drawing.

Referring to the drawing wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several veiws:

Figure l is a front elevation of a clock with. my improved form of time indicating mechanism associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a clock, partly in section, illustrating my invention as connected thereto.

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the hour indicating disk.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the minute indicating disk.

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the second indicating disk.

Figure 6 is a front elevation, on a reduced scale, of the time dial.

In practicing my invention, as illustrated in the drawing, I provide a clock case 2 having a front wall formed with an aperture 3 which is closed by a transparent lens 4 fixed within a bezel 5 mounted on the case about said aperture. Contained within the case and in the rear of the lens 4 is a ternary of shafts 6, one arranged within the other, for independent rotation. Said ternary of shafts comprise hour, minute and second shafts I, 3 and 9 respectively and which are operated by a clock mechanism of ordinary construction (not shown) secured Within the case, it being understood that said clock mechanism per se forms no part of the present invention.

The shafts 5 extend outwardly and centrally through a dial Ii] secured to a dial holder H as at l2 with the latter secured by means of screws 13 to sleeves I4 fixed within the case. The dial In is provided with inner and outer zones l5 and I6 respectively and said zone !6 is provided with indicia H, for instance Arabic numerals 1 to 12 inclusive, indicative of the hours of the day. The inner zone 15 is defined in respect to the outer zone by a circumscribed scale l8 indicative of minutes and seconds of each of said hours and is provided with indicia I9, for instance Arabic numerals, indicative of the number of seconds per minute.

The outer ends of the shafts 6 extend an appreciable distance one beyond the other and secured to the outer end of the hour shaft I is an hour indicating disk 20 having a central transparent portion 2| of a diameter coincident with the diameter of the inner zone !5 and an outer opaque portion 22 having a width coincident with the outer zone 16 of the dial H]. The outer opaque portion 22 is provided with a transparent section 23 of a sufficient area whereby one of the hour indicating numerals in the rear thereof is visible at any time. The inner transparent portion of the hour indicating disk is provided with indicating indicia 24 adjacent the periphery thereof, for instance an arrowhead, for coaction with the indicia I! of the outer zone 46 of the dial ID for indicating the hours. Secured to the outer end of the minute shaft 8 is a transparent minute indicating disk 25 of a diameter coincident with the inner zone N3 of the dial it. Said disk is provided with indicia 26, for instance an arrowhead, for registry with the circumscribed scale l8 for indicating the minutes. Secured to the outer end of the second shaft 9 is a transparent second indicating disk 2! of a diameter coincident with the disk 25 and is similarly provided with indicating indicia 28, for instance an arrowhead, for coaction with the circumscribed scale for indicating the seconds of the minutes.

As apparent from Figure 2 of the drawing, the minute indicating disk 25 is located in the rear of the hour indicating disk 20 and the second indicating disk is interposed between the minute indicating disk and the dial I0. Therefore, upon relative rotation of the ternary of shafts 6 one of the hour indicating numerals will be exposed to view through the transparent section 23 of the disk 20 and the arrowhead on said disk 20 will at the same time indicate the numeral designating the hour. The arrowhead of the minute disk 25 will indicate on the scale I8 the minute of the hour and the arrowhead on the second disk 21 will indicate the second of the minute.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a simple and eflicient form of time indicating mechanism whereby the hour is accentuated and thus quickly and readily discerned from a distance together with the minutes and seconds thereof.

It is obvious that the invention is not confined to the herein described use therefor as it may be utilized for any purpose to which it is adaptable. It is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction as illustrated and described, as the same is only illustrative of the principles of operation, which are capable of extended application in advance forms, and that the invention comprehends all construction within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a clock having time shafts, a time dial having outer and inner time zones each provided with time denoting indicia, a disk fixed to one of said shafts and provided -with a transparent portion overlying said inner zone and an opaque portion having a transparent section and overlying said outer zone, and a trans parent disk fixed to another of said shafts and overlying said inner zone, each of said disks having indicia coacting with said time denoting indicia and said section for indicating time on said dial.

2. In combination with a clock having hour, minute and second time computing shafts; a time indicating mechanism, comprising, a time dial having outer and inner time zones each provided with time denoting indicia, an hour indicating disk fixed to said hour computing shaft and provided with a transparent portion overlying said inner zone and an opaque portion having a transparent section and overlying said outer zone, a transparent minute indicating disk fixed to said minute computing shaft and overlying said inner zone, and a transparent second indicating disk fixed to said second computing shaft and overlying said inner zone, each of said disks having indicia coasting with said time denoting indicia and said section for indicating tme on said dial in hours, mnutes and seconds.

NA'ITIAN HAMMER. 

